Radioimmunotherapy for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; positioning, safety, and efficacy of 90Y-Ibritumomab. 10 years of experience and follow-up.

INTRODUCTION: Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) is one of the therapies directed against molecular targets in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL).

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the positioning, safety, and effectiveness of RIT with 90Y-Ibritumomab in NHL patients.

METHOD: A retrospective study was conducted on patients with NHL who received RIT with 90Y-Ibritumomab. An evaluation was made of the concordance with clinical guidelines, toxicity as rated by the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE), and effectiveness was assessed based on response to treatment, overall survival (OS), and progression-free survival (PFS).

RESULTS: RIT was requested in 26 patients, of whom 21 (11 women, mean age 56±10 years) were included in the study, with the following distribution: Follicular NHL, 67%, Mantle NHL, 14%, Diffuse large B-cell NHL, 9.5%, and Transformed NHL 9.5%. Twelve patients with refractory NHL, 7 for consolidation response, and 2 transplant conditioning, were treated. Adverse effects were observed in 71% of patients, which were usually manageable and transient, and with the most common being thrombocytopenia. At 3-4 months, overall response rate was 76.2% (71.4% complete and 4.8% partial response), and 19% had progression of disease. With a median follow up of 70 months, the OS was 96±8 months, and the PFS was 54±11 months.

CONCLUSION: RIT showed a moderate correlation with clinical guidelines, and is probably underused. Adverse effects were common, mild, and manageable. The data show a high complete response rate and an increase in the OS and PFS.